The city of Hialeah allocated $13,050 in public funds to the same political consulting firm that charged $171,000 from the campaign committee of Mayor Bryan Calvo to send mass text messages to residents promoting events associated with the official, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald published on Wednesday.
The contracted company is Dark Horse Strategies and Consulting Inc., led by Emiliano Antunez, who was the chief consultant for Calvo's campaign in 2025.
The political action committee "Let's Fix Hialeah" paid $171,000 for consulting services during that election campaign, with the last disbursement made in January 2026, just days after Calvo took office.
Three months later, the city began hiring the same firm with taxpayer money.
Between April and July, Hialeah made four payments to Dark Horse Strategies for text messaging campaigns: 54,500 SMS for Earth Day cleanup ($4,425), 52,900 SMS for the Mayor's Cup Fan Fest during the World Cup ($4,100), 3,030 SMS for a community meeting ($500), and 51,000 SMS for the July 4th celebration ($4,025).
One of the messages was written in the first person: "I am excited to invite you and your family to the Mayor's Cup Fan Fest on Saturday, June 13, at Factory Town as we celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026."
The messages were sent to residents from a phone number that was not identified as belonging to the municipality.
Municipal records also reveal three additional service orders to the signature: 1,880 dollars in August and another 785 and 875 dollars in September. Antunez confirmed to the Herald that Hialeah has already paid for the services in August, although the city has not provided the receipts.
The total accumulated between confirmed payments and additional orders amounts to 16,590 dollars, just 9,000 dollars away from the threshold of 25,000 which, according to Hialeah's purchasing rules, requires approval from the City Council.
The council members declared to the Herald that they were completely unaware of these expenses when the newspaper inquired.
The pattern contrasts with the promises that Calvo made during his campaign, when the Miami Herald was investigating how the former mayor Esteban Bovo spent over $45,000 in public funds for his farewell party. At that time, Calvo stated: "As mayor, I will ensure that every public dollar serves the public good, not the ego of politicians."
This is not the first time that the management of the youngest mayor in the history of Hialeah has faced questions about the use of municipal resources. The city accumulated more than $59,100 in overtime payments to three members of his personal security detail between January and July 2026, according to payroll records.
Antunez defended his method to the Herald and asserted that text messages are "more effective" than advertising on radio or in newspapers because they reach the target audience directly, and he assesses the cost of his work based on the number of residents reached.
No previous administration before Calvo had paid political consultants to send mass text messages promoting community meetings or other activities of the mayor, according to available records cited by the Miami Herald. Calvo, his spokesperson, and his chief of staff did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.
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